Grease-arrester for steam engines or boilers



(No Model.) u J. F. TRAVBR.

lGREASE ARRESTERFOR STEAM ENGINES OR BOILEES.

No. 499,059. 9 Patented June 6, 1899.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

JEREMIAH FRANKIS TRAVER, OF NEWBURG, NEW YORK.

GREASE-ARRESTER FOR STEAM ENGINES OR BOILERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 499,059, dated June 6,1893.

Application iled October 4, 1892. Serial No. 447,773. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JEREMIAH FRANKIS TRAVER, of Newburg, in the countyof Orange and State of New York, have invented a new and ImprovedGrease-Arrester for Use in Connection with Steam Engines or Boilers, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to grease arresters, otherwise called filterboxes, commonly used in connection with condensing steam engines.

In the ordinary operation of condensing steam engines, the steam, inpassing through the engine to the condenser, becomes more or lesscharged with oil, grease and other foreign substances, and theseimpurities make their appearance in the water of condensation, which iscommonly collected Within a filter box or grease arrester, whence, afterfiltration, it is, by means of a pump, forced back into the boiler. Thispump generally forms a part of the engine, and when the latter is 1nmotion, the pump is constantly drawing water from the iilter box anddischarging it into the boiler. The filtering materials ordinarilyemployed to filter the water in the {ilter boxes, are more or lessdefective, and diftculty is found to prevent the grease, scum and otherimpurities from finding their way with the water of condensation backinto the boiler and engine.

The object of this invention is to provide a means whereby the grease,scum and other impurities may be effectively separated in the ilter boxfrom the water of condensation and held in the filter box for convenientremoval, while the water of condensation, in a comparatively pure state,is returned to the boiler.

The invention consists of a pipe valve adapted to be seated onthe'ontlet pipe of the filter box, said valve being actuated bya floatand arranged to extend from its seatto a point above the highest levelof the water in the filter box.

The-invention also consists of certain parts and details, andcombinations of the same, as will be hereinafterdescribed and thenpointed out in the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a sectional side elevation of a tilter box containing myimprovements showing the Water at low level and my valve in closedposition. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same; and Fig. 3 issectional side elevation of a portion of the filter box, showing thewater at high level and my valve in open position.

A suitably constructed tank or filterbox A is provided, having arrangedtherein a series of transverse partitions B, B B2, and B3, formingwithin the filter box a series of compartments, O, O', O2, O3, O4,connected with each other at their lower ends by passageways D, formedby not carrying the partitions entirely down to the bottom of the tankA, as will be readily understood by reference to Figs. l and 2. Thisform of filter box is more especially intended for use on shipboard inconnection with marine steam eugines or boilers, and the object of theabove partitions is to prevent the swash of the Water in the filter box,under motion of the the ship. The water of condensation enters filterbox A through the pipe E into the compartment O, and thence flows intothe several compartments. In the last compartment O4, and `at the bottomthereof, is arranged the outlet pipe F, which connects with the enginepump, by which the Water of condensation is pumped back into the boiler.The upper end of this pipe F, within the compartment C4, is flanged andforms a seat G', which receives the lower end of a vertically disposedhollow pipe valve G, the upper end of which rises to within a shortdistance of the upper edge of the tank A.

The pipe valve G is mounted to rise and fall vertically, and is guidedfor this purpose in a suitable loop H, extending from the inner wall ofthe tank A. The pipe G is pivotally connected near its lower end withalever I fulcrumed at I on the bracket attached to the Wall of the tankA, as shown. The lever I is mounted to swing vertically and is guidednear its free end in a keeper J. The free end of the lever I ispivotally connected IOC simultaneously in all the compartments, asv

the latter are connected with each other by the passageways D. When thewater in the compartment C4 rises sufticientlyit lifts the Aiioat L sothat the lever I is moved upward,

whereby the pipe valve G is lifted E its seat on the pipe F, and thelatter is thus opened so that the engine pump can suck water from thecompartment C4. As soon as the water falls in the filter box below thepredetermined level, the iioatL moves downward and the valve pipe Gbecomes seated again on the pipe F, thus closing the latter, therebypreventing a further outflow of water from the several compartments ofthe tank A, but the working of the pump will not be impeded, as the pumpwill now suck air through the pipe valve G, the upper end of which risesabove the water level in the filter box- Any lubricant, grease, scum orother impurities will iioat on the water within the tilter box, and willbe arrested and held therein to be finally removed by any suitablemeans, whenever a suiiicient quantity has accumulated.

It will be seen that the construction and arrangement of my pipe valveare such that only the lower strata of water, which is purest and freestfrom impurities, can be drawn o by the pump from the lter box throughthe pipe F, for as soon as the water level in the filter box fallssuiiiciently, thus bringing down the Heating strata of impurities, thepipe valve G closes, leaving the impurities in the lilter box. In theordinary filter box, all the water and all the impurities in the watermay be drawn out of the box by the pump,

which then sucks air at the bottom of the iilter box.

The pipe valve G, instead of being operated by lever and float rod asshown, may be operated by having the float L directly attached, in asuitable manner, to the pipe valve G. The especial advantage of myhollow pipe valve G is thatit opens and closes easily at all levels ofthe water in the iilter box. It' the valve G were solid instead ofhollow, the continued suction of the pump when the valve was closedwould render it difficult for the float to lift the valve into openposition, and the operation of the pump would behindered. But by havingthe valve made hollow, as here described, the suction of the pump doesnot interfere with the easy movement of the valve, for when the valvecloses the pump takes air through the hollow pipe valve G and the pumpexerts no suction or pressure upon the valve.

I do not limit or confine myself to the exact size or arrangement of anyof the parts herein described, as they may be varied in sundry ways bythe constructor without departing from my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure byLetters Patentn In combination with the outlet pipe of a greasearresting tank or filter box, a iioat operated pipe valve, arranged toextend from the outlet pipe to a point above the highest level of thewater in the tank, substantially as shown and described; whereby whenthe JEREMIAH FRANKIS TRAVER.

Witnesses:

E. W. CLARK, F. W. HANAFORD.

